BEIJING

Strengthening the Turkey-China relations will contribute to regional and global stability, Turkey’s president said on Tuesday.

Praising the thousands of years ties between the two countries, Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced belief in potential for improving the cooperation between Turkey and China.

“Strengthening the Turkey-China ties will also make a huge and particular contribution to the regional and global stability,” Erdogan said ahead of his meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Erdogan also said “One-China” policy is strategically important for Turkey.

In 1949, Chinese nationalist leaders fled to Taiwan to establish what they called “nationalist China” when Mao Zedong came to power.

China, which does not accept Taiwan's independence, argues that this island is its breakaway province since then.

In 1979, the U.S. recognized the People’s Republic of China as the “legitimate authority representing China” by adopting the “One-China” policy.

However, the U.S. maintains relations with Taiwan unofficially. It sells weapons worth of billions of dollar each year to Taiwan.

Strategic cooperation to be boosted 

Xi, for his part, also called for improving strategic cooperation between the two countries.

"Turkey and China are emerging markets and developing countries. We should boost mutual strategic trust, strengthen strategic cooperation and coordination," Xi said.

He also said that they should defend multilateralism and global justice together.

The two leaders joined meetings -- bilateral and between delegations -- which lasted more than an hour.

Among the attendees were Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan.